The Question

Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 12:32:24 -0600
From: VBojic@lc.edu
Subject: [volmonitor] stream aquarium

Does anyone have good instructions for building a macroinvertebrate aquarium? If so, please send them my way.

Thanks!

Vera Bojic, RiverWatch Program Coordinator
National Great Rivers Research & Education Center
Lewis and Clark Community College

Responses

Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 15:13:50 -0500
From: "Cooke, Ken (EPPC DEP DOW)" <Ken.Cooke@ky.gov>
Subject: RE: [volmonitor] stream aquarium

One product I have seen in place that creates an aquarium environment for benthic macroinvertebrates are Mike Strohm’s Creeklab.

http://www.teachwater.com/CreekLab.html

He has some educational materials that go with the product as well.

Thanks

Ken Cooke

KY Water Watch

Date: Thu, 18 Jan 2007 16:38:19 -0500
From: David Kirschtel <kirschte@msu.edu>
Subject: Re: [volmonitor] stream aquarium

I've been playing around for the past few years with an circular table-top stream (technical term: re-entrant flume) using an angled airlift tube to drive the current.

Basic design is a large clear acrylic ice bucket (straight-sided). The airlift tube is a section of flexible pvc tubing (to fit the curve of the outside wall), angle should be about 45deg., stick it onto the side of the tank with small suction cups.

In the center of the tank silicone a 2L soda bottle - top cut off and small holes in the bottom and top to allow water to flow through. This is to channelize the flow and keep the velocity up also, velocity would drop to zero at the center anyway.

In the warm weather you can place a 1L soda bottle filled with water and frozen in the center as "refrigeration" to keep the temp down.

Add slimy rocks in the bottom of the tank. Illuminate with desktop halogen lamp. You're good to go.

Been able to keep a few mayflies to hatch. Also, in both tanks that I've set up, I've wound up with healthy populations of freshwater hydra.

I think that I've got some photos at home that I can post tomorrow, as well as some video of inverts (mostly mayflies) , if anyone is interested.

-David
======================================================================== ========
David Kirschtel, Ph.D.
National Ecological Observatory Network - National Project Office
1444 I St, NW, #200 - Washington, DC 20005
email: kirschte@msu.edu - tel: 202.628.1500x240

Date: Fri, 19 Jan 2007 15:50:55 -0600
From: Kris Stepenuck <kris.stepenuck@ces.uwex.edu>
Subject: RE: [volmonitor] stream aquarium

Hi

There's one I am aware of called Carry Creek. Here's a web link to it: http://www.carrycreek.com/

Cheers,

Kris Stepenuck

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